Multiple element cleaning device for hypodermic syringes



Jan. 20, 1959 c, MURCOTT 2,869,160

MULTIPLE ELEMENT CLEANING DEVICE FOR HYPODERMIC SYRINGES Filed March 22,1956 1g INVENTOR.

CHARLES E- MURCOTT ATTORNEY MULTlPLE ELEMENT CLEANING DEVICE FURHYPODERMIC SYRINGES Charles E. Murcott, Massapequa, N. Y., assignor toGeneral Medical Equipment Corp., Valley Stream, N. Y., a corporation ofNew York Application March 22, 1956, Serial No. 573,186 1 Claim. (Cl.15-105) This invention relates to devices for cleaning the passages orchambers of hypodermic syringes to render the same clean prior tosterilization and use. More particularly, the invention deals with adevice comprising a twisted rod having a nylon bristle brush end with apair of nylon stylets arranged on the rod and a ferrule slidable on therod for support of the stylets in collapsed position on the rod, wherebythe various parts of a hypodermic needle can be brushed clean forremoval of coatings or deposits which may prevail upon the interiorsurfaces of the various syringe parts.

Still more particularly, the invention deals with a device of thecharacter described, wherein a pair of stylets of different diametersare employed.

The novel features of the invention will be best understood from thefollowing description, when taken together with the accompanyingdrawing, in which certain embodiments of the invention are disclosedand, in which, the separate parts are designated by suitable referencecharacters in each of the views and, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a device made according to my invention,showing parts in collapsed position in full lines and in extended useposition in dot-dash lines.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail view of the brush end portion of thedevice, the view being taken at right angles to the showing in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view through one end portion of asyringe vial, indicating diagrammatically the brush end in the operationof cleaning the vial and also indicated, in dotted lines, one of thetube cleaning strands; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail View of the supplemental brush elementwhich I employ, illustrating diagrammatically its arrangement in themounting end portion of a hypodermic needle.

In practice, my improved device consists of an elongated rod 10,preferably fashioned from a wire strand, which is formed centrally toprovide a loop 11, upon which is mounted a coupling 12 of a supplementalbrush element 13, this assemblage being made prior to the twisting ofthe rod end portions one upon the other as indicated at 14. In thistwisting operation, the outer end portion of the rod has nylon strandsarranged in the twist so as to form a substantially spiral brush end 15,as diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawing. After thecomplete assemblage of the nylon bristles or strands with the twistedstrands of the rod 10, the end portion 10' of the rod is bent inwardlyupon itself, as diagrammatically seen in Fig. 2 of the drawing end, inthis operation, one of the spirals of the brush is positioned in afan-like manner at the end of the rod 11 as seen at 15 in Fig. l of thedrawing.

The supplemental brush element 13 includes a rod 16 Ziihhdhh PatentedJan. 20, 1959 extending from the coupling 12 and to the end of the rod16 is secured a ferrule or sleeve 17, which supports a relatively smallgroup of nylon bristles 18, the latter forming the supplemental brushand it is preferred that the bristles 18 have a bevelled cut, as seen at19, so as to produce a more or less pointed end 20 which facilitatespositioning of the brush 18 in the slightly tapered bore 21 of thecoupling end 22 of a hypodermic needle 23, as diagrammatically seen inFig. 4 of the drawing. The coupling 22 is adapted to frictionally fitupon the tapered reduced tubular end portion 24 of the vial 25 of asyringe, the latter being shown, in part, in Fig. 3 of the drawing, thetube 24 including a bore 26.

In the operation of forming the twists in the rod 10, as indicated at14, and prior to starting the arrangement of the bristles 15 therein, apair of nylon strands or stylets 27 and 28 are also secured within thetwists, the stylet 27 being preferably of larger diameter than thestylet 28 and both of these are of irregular or corrugated form and areadapted to be inserted into the bore 26, as diagrammatically illustratedin dot-dash lines in Fig. 3 in the operation of cleaning the bore 26.Again, prior to assemblage of 27, 28 and 15 with the twisted rod, 21ferrule or sleeve 29 is arranged upon the rod and is free to movelongitudinally thereof to normally retain the stylets 27, 28 incollapsed position upon the rod, as seen in full lines in Fig. l andalso is to free the stylets for use, it being understood that thesestylets can be flexed to a position substantially at right angles to therod for the use purpose, as indicated in Fig. 3 of the drawing.

In the use of the brush 15 in the vial 25, it will be apparent that theend 15' will more or less flatten out so as to engage the end wall 30 ofthe vial and also to extend partially into the bore 26, as indicated at15" in Fig. 3 of the drawing. In the use of the brushes 15, 18, as Wellas the stylets 27 and 28, they are rotated as Well as movedlongitudinally of the respective bores in scraping any type and kind ofdeposit that may have collected on the bores to free the same and, inthe several uses, suitable detergents can also be employed to assist infreeing the film coatings so that all of these bores can be thoroughlycleaned prior to placement of the same into sterilizers, preparatory tofurther use thereof.

In the administering of certain types and kinds of drugs, there aretypes that adhere to or form film deposits upon end surfaces of thebores of the'various parts of the hypodermic syringe. These film-likedeposits cannot be removed by simply washing. However, a brushassemblage of the type and kind under consideration will operate to freethe surfaces of the bores of such deposits, thus maintaining the sameclean and unstained at all times.

The strands or stylets 27 and 28 are preferably composed of a fairlyrigid and yet flexible material such, for example, as nylon, and theirregular or corrugated structure thereof is preferred in order tofacilitate the cleaning of the bore 26. No attempt is made to illustratethis irregular or corrugated characteristic in Fig. l of the drawing forsake of simplicity in the showing and keeping in mind that suchirregularities are relatively fine. t might also be said, at this time,that, in forming these stylets, they will be shaped to normally assumeor spring to the dot-dash line position shown in Fig. l of the draw ingand, in use, can be sprung to any desired angular position with respectto the rod 10 and, when released, will return to the dot-dash position.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

A cleaning device for hypodermic syringes of the character described,comprising an elongated twisted rod having a loop end and a spiral brushend portion, the brush end comprising bristles retained on the rodWithin the twists thereof, a pair of nylon stylets fixed within thetwist of said rod adjacent and inwardly of the brush end portion, aferrule slidable upon the rod engaging end portions of said stylets inretaining the same in collapsed position upon the rod, and one styletbeing of different diameter than the other.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSJohnson Aug. 2,

Pulver Dec. 13,

Bell Jan. 3,

Roy May 21,

FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Oct. 28,

France Oct. 3,

